As indicated in the September, 1996 issue of "Golf Digest", hitting golf balls into the water occurs with a great degree of frequency. As a result, an entire industry has developed in the recovery of golf balls which are then resold despite the fact that the ball has spent a fair amount of time in the water. While the golf ball cover seems to be fairly impervious, the question has become as to the effect of the immersion of the ball over a number of days at the bottom of a pond laying in the mud.
As will be appreciated, golf balls come in two varieties, a three-piece ball and a two-piece ball. According to the above article, when such balls were tested using a robotic hitting machine and a standard length metal driver with a 9.53 degree loft and an extra stiff shaft, with a club head speed 93.7 miles per hour and a launch angle of 90 degrees and with a spin rate of 2,800 rpm, the result for a three-piece ball was a difference in carry of 6 yards after an eight day immersion, a 12 yard loss after three months a 15 yard loss after six months.
For a two-piece ball, the amount of carry was 6 yards shorter and after having been immersed for eight days, and an additional 3.3 yards after three months, for a total of 9.1 yards. While for two-piece balls being in the water typically makes the ball harder in terms of compression, it also slows down the coefficient of restitution or the ability of the ball to regain its roundness after impact. The above factors make the ball fly shorter. Three-piece balls have been found to get softer in terms of compression, but they also fly shorter according to the above-mentioned article.
The problem therefore becomes one of being able to determine when a golf ball has been immersed so that it may be rejected in favor of a new golf ball.
Note that golf ball construction is shown in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 5,609,953; 5,586,950; 5,538,794; 5,496,035; 5,480,155; 5,415,937; 5,314,187; 5,096,201; 5,006,297; 5,002,281; 4,690,981; 4,984,803; 4,979,746; 4,955,966; 4,931,376; 4,919,434; 4,911,451; 4,884,814; 4,863,167; 4,848,770; 4,792,141; 4,715,607; 4,714,253; 4,688,801; 4,683,257; 4,625,964; 4,483,537; 4,436,276; 4,431,193; 4,266,772; 4,065,537; 3,784,209; 3,572,722; 3,264,272.